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Ridepod
Ridepod (called Steve by Cedric) is a fully customizable machine Max obtains at the beginning of Dark Cloud 2 being obtained at the same time the Photography is introduced during Chapter 1 after the first fight against Linda in the Channel Pump Room story segment of the Underground Water Channel dungeon. Controls Once obtained, Steve can be accessed in Dungeons by pressing when controlling Max. He may also be switched to via the Character menu on the Main menu. Fighting with the Ridepod is not very different than fighting with Max or Monica. * The left analog stick moves Steve * The button attacks with the currently equipped Arm part * The button blocks against attacks. When first obtained, Steve will perform much better than Max in combat against enemies, however it is important to upgrade Steve by invent or purchase new parts for him. Upgrades In order to upgrade Steve, you have to find new Parts for him. You have two ways to do so : *Buy parts from Cedric *Invent them via the Make menu The second option is recommended over the first, as Cedric does not sell the most useful Parts. Some ideas of Parts' inventions can be randomly found in places, but every Parts related to Steve can be invented, except Cores and Shield Kits. Ridepod Parts The most important items for Steve are Ridepod Parts. There is a large amount of them, allowing you to entirely customize Steve, considerably more so than Max and Monica. Ridepod Parts affect Steve's defense, speed, fighting style, and appearance. Initially, Steve is equipped with the following Ridepod parts: *Core: Core (Capacity = 0/60, Defense = 0/12) *Energy Pack: Energy Pack (Energy Points = 80) *Body part: Drum Can Body (Defense = 6) *Arm part: Cannonball Arm *Leg part: Iron Leg Steve's parts are classified into Cores, Arms, Body, Leg, Energy Pack and Miscellaneous. 'Cores' Cores are the heart of your robotic friend. Cores are very important, because they determine your capacity to attach others Parts as well as Steve's maximum defense along with Body-types. So, better Cores means more capacity to attach more powerful body-types and arm, you should first buy Cores from Cedric before spending EXP on Shield Kits or Parts. Cores cannot be invented, but only upgraded from Cedric in exchange of EXP. 'Energy Packs' Energy Packs are literally Steve's health. It determines how much damage it can withstand before running out of fuel. The Steve's energy will also decrease over time. The first Energy Pack is made in the Photography Tutorial. Starting with 80 Energy Points, better Energy Packs will upgrade its maximum "health", so it's advised to invent better Energy Packs especially if you plan to use him often. Energy Packs can be bought from Cedric or G-Parts but all of them are inventable. 'Body parts' Body-types are Steve's second important Parts. As they determine Steve's overall look, they also serve as Steve global defense. Since Cedric will only start to sell Body-types at Chapter 5, it's advised to invent them in order to upgrade Steve's defense. Body-types can be bought from Cedric or G-Parts but all of them are inventable. 'Arms parts' Steve's Arms are its main ways to defeat enemies. They range from the Cannonball Arm you start with to futuristic weapons like the Laser Arm, but also consist of somewhat modern weapons like the Machine Gun Arm. All Steve's Arms allow him to attack while moving, making "hit and run" techniques very useful against monsters. They can be broken down into 2 categories : Melee Arms and Ranged Arms. Also, all of Steve's Arms have four versions with each version being more powerful than its predecessor. One constraint is that they can't be upgraded with crystals, nor they can't collect ABS. You're stuck with the Stats of your weapons. Steve's Arms can be bought from Cedric or G-Parts but all of them are inventable. 'Melee Arms' Steve's melee arms are various and are the ones which allows to block while moving. While most of them are suited for fighting Windup monsters with ease, they can do pretty well against any enemy. They also have a lot of trouble hitting airborne monsters, too. All of these arms deliver a 3-hit combo and they will generally make the enemy flinch, but they'll never knock them down, unlike Max and Monica's right-hand weapons, their only difference between them being the attack speed and their elemental stats. Here, the WHP goes down every time you manage to hit a monster with your melee arm. 'Ranged Arms' Steve's ranged arms permit Steve to engage enemies at long distance. The first one you'll obtain is usually the Barrel Cannon at Chapter 2, but there are many others ranged weapons, ranging from machine guns to laser arms and missile launchers. You can easily hit airborne monsters with them. Unlike the Ridepod's melee arms it is not possible to block attacks with when using any ranged arm. Because of this, it is imperative to utilize Steve's mobility to evade incoming attacks until enough distance from monsters may be gained. With Steve's ranged arms, the lock-on is very important, as shooting without a lock-on will guarantee a miss about 90% of the time : this is especially true with the Missile Pod Arms, as they shoot 12 missiles. For these, the WHP goes down every time you fire with the button. 'Leg parts' Leg Parts determine Steve's speed and mobility and as such, are an extremely important aspect of attempting to complete every Time Attack medal in Dark Cloud 2. They exist in different types, ranging from standard it's regular legs to roller blades and futuristic hover-jets Feet Parts can be bought from Cedric or G-Parts but all of them are inventable! 'Miscellaneous parts' The Miscellaneous parts refer to 2 items which do not fit into any previous category. Those two items may only be obtained by purchasing them from Cedric in exchange for EXP. *Voice Unit **There is only one of these available, and provides no combat advantages to the player, and using it simply adds extra voiced dialogue to Steve while fighting enemies * Shield Kit ** This is a permanent stat boosting power up item which will increase Steve's defense (represented by Core on the inventory/character display. It is comparable to the Potato Pie (Maximillian) or Witch Parfait (Monica) power up items General fighting strategies *If you know how to fight with Max and Monica, then fighting with the Ridepod should not be a problem. Steve can easily defeat tougher monsters (especially Windup-monsters), monsters which prove to be difficult with the two characters, especially Monica as her sword can't effectively damage metal. *One advantage Steve has on Max and Monica is that Steve can attack while moving, making "hit and run" techniques easier against enemies. He can also block while moving but only with its melees arms. It can be very helpful dealing with incoming monsters : block while guarding incoming attack to retreat safely. *One thing to note is that Steve's melee arms can be tricky to use against airborne monsters. If you really want to hit them with a melee arm, you have to wait them to get down before smashing them to pieces. *If you're using his ranged arms, try to be far away from monsters, especially if they're fast, as you can't use the Block button to block enemy attacks. Use Steve's mobility to evade incoming attacks while counter-attacking with yours. *Last thing to note, lock-on targeting (with O) is more important with Steve than it's with Max and Monica. It is especially important with its ranged weapons, as firing without lock-on will guarantee a miss. *When any monster is defeated it'll drops blue grains (ABS). If they're collected by Steve, they'll be collected as EXP, EXP used to upgrade the Ridepod from Cedric. Gallery Max on the Ridepod (Manga).png|Max Riding the Ridepod. From the Dark Chronicle Artbook (Manga) Category:Vehicles